1793 Reference Letter for a Foreign-Trained Doctor Seeking Work in France

On offer is a fascinating appeal from a German doctor living in revolutionary France to the Committee of General Security.

The letter was written “ Year 2” of the new French Republic – 1793 by the Gregorian calendar. The letter appears to be a reference for another person, a Doctor Suiffert who is identified simply as ‘Saxon’. The writer’s name is not legible.

The letter is addressed to the Committee of General Security. The Committee of General Security was a French parliamentary committee which acted as police agency during the French Revolution that, along with the Committee of Public Safety, oversaw the Reign of Terror. Designed to protect the Revolutionary Republic from its internal enemies. It supervised the local police committees in charge of investigating reports of treason, and was one of the agencies with authority to refer suspects to the Revolutionary Tribunal for trial and possible execution by guillotine.

His letter begins:

Aux Seigneurs membres du comite de surete general de la convention national Suiffert, medecin Saxon Un homme a la verite etranger au territoires francaise mais dupuis vingt quatre ans en plus au service des individues souffrants de peuple qu'il habite zele precourseur des droits de l'homme invieriable et sincere apotre des principes de la liberte francaise, republicaine inebranlable des l'ages et instruction en de la raison ame et serviteur des humanite opprimee et souffrant pour principe, pour devoir et par etat vivan sans autre ambition sur la terre que d'etee un des hommes habites a soulager es a guerer et sans autre interet que que de continuer comme justqu'a ce jour a distribuer la reconaissance volontaire des riches aux pauvre malades et aux malheureuses

[Translation: To the Gentlemen members of the General Safety Committee of the National Convention Suiffert, Saxon doctor a man in truth foreigner to the French territories but for twenty four years in addition to that at the service of the suffering individuals of the people live there, zealous defender of the rights of man, unrelenting and sincere apostle of the principles of the French liberty, unshakable republican of the times and educated in the spirit of reason and servant of the oppressed and suffering humanity for principle, for duty and for a living condition with no other ambition on earth than to be one of the men who lived to alleviate and to fight and with no other interest than to continue as it is today to distribute the voluntary recognition of the rich to the poor, the sick and the unhappy…]

The letter goes on to extol the goodness of the French people and requests the granting of privileges to Suiffert.

For a historian or student of the French Revolution, it is an excellent example of the type of relationships and communications that had to be established and maintained in order to navigate the treacherous waters of the revolutionary zeal that swept the country at that time.

The document measures 9.75 inches by 7.0 inches. It contains 4 pages. It is bound with thread. The pages and the binding are in good condition. The handwriting is legible.